Bad Wings
by OhhhMyCrowley
Summary: What starts out as a ordinary hunting trip for the Winchester brothers, quickly evolves into a tangled mess of friendship, lies, hate, pain and ultimately, love. They, alongside Castiel and their newfound friends, must face a trial greater than any they have ever known before. And one of them won't be coming out alive. Pairings: Cas/OC, Dean/OC. T for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Greetings, fair reader! Before you get started, I have just a few quick comments that will hopefully help you to better understand this story and greatly improve your reading experience. First off, and most important, is the story's setting. I've set this fic in early season 6 (after 6x04 to be precise) with a few slight deviations from canon. Sam escapes hell with his soul still intact and immediately reunites with Dean, essentially removing their grandfather, his family, Lisa, and Ben from the plot line entirely. Also, Castiel will be working against Crowley instead of alongside him. Now I know it might seem like I've basically thrown out the entire plot from the 6th season, but I promise it will all start to make sense as the story progresses. Second, and less important, this entire fic was written for my two best friends who you will have the privilege of reading about as they will be the two main OCs, Emily and Madison. I hope you love and adore them as much as I do. That is all for now. Happy reading!

* * *

Emily groaned as she crawled out of bed, still exhausted from the previous days hunt. A warm blanket around her shoulders defended her from the cold as she wandered into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Her breath now mint fresh, she returned to the room and proceeded to dress herself. She slipped into a black, pencil skirt, pulled on a white button up, and threw a black blazer over the top. Her look was completed with a light layer of foundation, some eyeliner, mascara, and lip stick in a shade of blood read. Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her keys, fake FBI badge, and headed out.

Emily arrived at the crime scene in a matter of minutes. She took a deep breath and exited her car, a silver, 1964 Chevy Nova. As she strode across the loose gravel, she immediately regretted her decision to wear heels. The three police officers who had previously been chattering amongst themselves now turned to look at her.

"Good morning, gentlemen." She said in a flat, emotionless tone.

"I'll say it is!" The first officer smirked as his eyes eagerly skimmed over her body.

Emily ignored the comment. "My name is Carole Anderson, I'm with the FBI." She stated.

"Sure you are, sweetheart." The second officer chuckled.

Emily glared at the man and flashed her badge. All three men grew silent.

"Now." She growled. "Which of you would like to relay the details of the incident to me?"

Before they had a chance to respond, two men in suits approached. One was abnormally tall, with long, chocolate brown hair that nearly touched his shoulders. The other, though still fairly tall, seemed relatively short in comparison. His hair was a dirty blond and his eyes were bright green.

"Morning." The shorter man greeted, his lips turned up in cocky smile. "I'm Agent Anderson, this is Agent Brown."

The taller man, Agent Brown as his comrade had said his name was, nodded acknowledging at the group as they both flashed their badges. Emily quickly noted that the badges had been faked, and quite well too. Which left the question, just who where these men?

"Anderson?" The third officer inquired, looking from the sandy-haired man to Emily. "You two related?"

"Married, actually." He responded, moving to place an arm around her waist. "Four years and counting."

Emily decided just to go with it for the time being. They would be able to sort this out later. She leaned up and placed a kiss on her "husband's" cheek, her lip stick leaving behind just the slightest trace of red on his skin.

"Alright, love birds." Agent Brown said. "Break it up. We have a case to solve."

"This way if you please, agents." The third officer motioned for the trio to follow him.

"We found him this morning. Body was still warm, no more than four hours old I'd say." The third officer explained. "He was a local fella, Gary Miles was his name. He was a good guy, had quite the temper on 'im though. Wouldn't wanna find myself opposite of him in a fight!"

"The report said this was an animal attack." Emily frowned as she bent down to examine the corpses neck.

"That's right, miss."

"These bite marks." She said quietly, grazing her gloved fingers over the wound. "They were made by human teeth..."

"The hell?" Anderson muttered as he knelt down to get a better look. "She's right."

"Ah, officers." Agent Brown stated. "You wouldn't know if anyone around here happened to have anything against Mr. Miles, would you?"

"No one that I can think of." The first officer stated.

"Every 'round these parts seemed to like 'im well enough." The third officer chimed in. "Can't say I know of anyone who'd wanna do this here fella in for."

"It was an animal attack, plain and simple." The second officer grunted at the trio. "Just cuz the teeth marks look a bit unusual doesn't mean anything. It was an animal. There's nothing else it could have been."

Brown nodded. "We understand, sir. But it is our job to explore every possibility in a situation such as this."

Emily straightened up, her lips pulled into a tight frown. "I've seen enough." She announced before stalking back to her car.

Agents Brown and Anderson gave each other a knowing glance before heading after her.

"Thank you for your time." Agent Brown called as they left.

The officers nodded and gave a friendly wave as they went back to whatever tasks they had been trying to complete before they had been interrupted.

Emily stretched out an arm to open the door of her car, but before her fingers could grasp the handle she felt another hand suddenly pull her own back. Instinct kicked in and she pulled her body into a fighting stance as she whirled around to face her offender.

"You." She snarled when she found herself face to face with Anderson.

"Hey, honey." He grinned.

"What do you want." She hissed through clenched teeth.

"We wanna know who you are and what you're doing here." Brown stated flatly as he came up behind his partner.

"I could ask you the same thing." Emily dead-panned. "You aren't FBI agents, your badges were faked."

"Answer the question, sweetheart."

Emily didn't respond but instead glared up at the man who refused to release her arm. She contemplated pulling him forward and smashing him into her car window to get away but decided against it. She didn't want to cause any damage to the fresh paint job after all. After several minutes of silence Anderson spoke again.

"Sam, check the trunk." He ordered.

Before she could protest, the taller man whose real name was apparently Sam had popped open her trunk and was rummaging through it's contents. It only took a couple minutes of sorting through her various weapons for the men to come to a rather obvious conclusion.

"She's a hunter." Sam announced.

"You sure?"

"Yeah Dean, I'm pretty sure." Sam said looking slightly annoyed. "I mean, unless the FBI's suddenly requiring that all their agents carry around rock salt bullets and pinewood stakes."

Sam and Dean? Emily frowned, where had she heard those names before? They sounded so familiar, wait... No, it couldn't be. She looked up at her captors, eyes flickering from Sam to Dean, the realization dawning.

"You're..." She breathed, still unbelieving. "You're the Winchesters."

"That's us." Dean grinned. "Always happy to meet a fan."

Sam gave his brother a sharp nudge of disapproval before turning back to Emily. "Well, now that you know our names, it only seems fair that you tell us yours."

"...Emily." She responded after a moments silence. "Emily Schneider."

"Sorry." Sam shook his head as though he'd heard wrong. "Did you say Emily Schneider?"

"I did."

"Well son of a bitch." Dean chuckled as he ran a hand through hair. "What brings Germany's top hunter to the land of the free?"

"A case." Emily said with slight hesitation.

"Yeah, ok." Dean rolled his eyes. "How about you tell us why you're really here."

"It's classified."

"Classified by whom?" Sam asked, his tone and expression full of skepticism.

"Look, it doesn't really matter. We can sort this out later." Emily said pointedly. "Right now we need to figure out what killed that man and stop it from killing again."

"We?" Dean frowned. "Look sweetheart, I appreciate the offer but I think Sammy and I've got-"

"What he means to say," Sam quickly cut in, "is that your assistance would be much appreciated. We could use all the help we can get."

Emily smiled and reached into her handbag, pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil. She jolted down an address and phone number before tearing off the slip of paper and handing it to the taller Winchester.

"Meet me there in three hours." She said. "In the meantime I'll be doing some research to see if i can't work out what the hell it is we're dealing with. I suggest you both do the same."

"Can do." Sam smiled awkwardly before heading back to the Impala.

Dean shuffled after his brother, feeling uneasy. Emily was a phenomenal hunter, one of the best in all of Europe. And though Dean had never personally seen her hunt, he'd heard enough stories to know that she was deadly even without a weapon in her hand. Skill wasn't the problem here. Trust was. There were several rumors floating around that Emily Schneider had murdered some of her past hunting partners. Dean wasn't one for gossip, but being in a situation that presented even the slightest possible threat to Sam's safety made him nervous. He wasn't all too concerned about his own life, but his brother's he would protect at _any_ cost.

"I don't feel good about this." He admitted, once they had both climbed into the car.

"What are you talking about?" Sam seemed confused.

"Emily. I don't trust her."

"What? Dean... You're not telling me you believe those stories about her, are you?"

"You're telling me you don't?" Dean's expression was serious.

"Of course I don't." Sam said." Those people were her friends. Why would she want to hurt them? It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know, Sam..." Dean finally said after several minutes of daunting silence. "But what I do know is that something about this chick just ain't right. There's too many rumors floating around and that doesn't settle with me. I don't think we can trust her."

The younger Winchester stared at his brother in disgust. "Do you always have to assume the worst of people?"

"When they're potential killers, yeah. I think it's fair of me to assume the worst!"

"We're killers, Dean." Sam said quietly, averting his gaze from his brother's green-eyed stare. "I think we should at least give her a chance."

"...Ok." Dean sighed. "But one wrong move and she's dead. Understand?"

"Yeah, ok."

* * *

Three hours later, the Winchester brothers stood outside the door of a motel room on the opposite side of town from where they themselves were staying. Sam brought his hand up to the painted wood and gave three sharp raps. A couple of seconds later the door creaked open and Emily waved them inside. Once the brothers had been seated, Emily grabbed her iPad and plopped down on the twin bed that sat in the center of the room.

"So." She began, folding her hands and placing them in her lap. "Have you two worked out what we're dealing with yet?"

"Not exactly." Sam said sheepishly.

"Well then." Emily grinned looking rather pleased with herself. "It's a good thing you've got me to help you out."

Dean rolled his eyes. "How about you just shut your trap and show us what you've got."

"Aren't we touchy." Emily teased while pulling up a tab on her tablet. "We're dealing with a rugaru."

"A rugaru?" Sam looked confused. "That doesn't make any sense i-"

"Here." Emily shoved her iPad into the younger Winchester's hands. "Just read it."

"Saint Kendrick's Church of the Brotherhood, located in San Diego, California? But I don't understand what this has to do wi-"

"Just keep reading."

Sam and Dean hovered over the screen, their expressions becoming more and more perplexed as they read on.

"So... They're vampires?" Sam asked, still feeling confused.

"Men who _think_ they're vampires." Emily corrected. "Don't you find it suspicious that all the congregation's members are men?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess it is a bit odd."

Emily smirked and handed the pair a piece of paper with strange symbols drawn along the border.

"This is their Statement of Faith." She explained. "I had to hack into their website to get it. Took me over half an hour to do but it was definitely worth it."

Dean rolled his eyes while his brother carefully examined the document.

"Most of it's just a bunch of crap about this Saint Kendrick guy, but the fourth line in the second paragraph is pretty interesting."

Sam's eyes moved to the section Emily had mentioned and quickly skimmed it over.

"As a member of The Brotherhood of Saint Kendrick, I do hereby pledge to resist the ever alluring temptation of human flesh, as it is unclean, and I accept that the partaking of such an impure substance would surely damn me to an eternity hell."

"Sorry sweetheart, but I'm not seeing what this had to do with anything." Dean said.

"Vampires don't crave human flesh." Emily stated, as though that explained everything. "And check this out."

She handed the brothers yet another sheet of paper. This time however, it was a profile.

"Jerry Davis. Member of Saint Kendrick's Church of the Brotherhood for 12 years until he disappeared almost two months back." Emily relayed as the boys looked the paper over. "Since he left the Brotherhood there have been three attacks just like the one we saw this morning. One in Ely, Nevada, one in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and finally, the one i-"

"In Hastings, Nebraska." Sam finished.

"So what?" Dean mused. "You think the guy made a run for it and just started killing people for kicks?"

"For blood." Emily corrected. "The Brotherhood are only permitted to feed on human blood because Kendrick thought that it would cause them to be made pure. And they weren't allowed eat the flesh because he thought it was unholy."

"The bite marks." Sam said, suddenly understanding where she was heading. "They were made with human teeth but the vic had been sucked almost dry like if it had been a vamp."

"Ok, but why a rugaru?" Dean asked, still not entirely understanding.

"The church members were all men." Emily explained. "The rugaru genes are only passed from father to son. Also, here's one of the church's documents from 16 years ago that I managed to dig up."

She handed the boys a final paper before continuing. "On March 24th of 1999, Gerard Davis was charged with violation of the the Brotherhood code and sentenced to burn at the stake."

"Rugaru's can only be killed with fire." Sam remarked.

Emily nodded. "Gerard was Jerry's father. The news reports from that time say that he went missing and was never found, leaving his 14 year old son in the care of his church Deacon."

"So you think he found out the truth about how his dad died?" Sam asked quietly.

"It is possible." Emily answered. "That or he just decided to leave The Brotherhood of his own free will."

"Well, one things for sure." Dean said, rising from his chair. "We've got a rugaru to take care of. So let's go burn that son of a bitch."


	2. Chapter 2

Five months had passed since Emily Schneider and the Winchesters had gone on their first hunt together. Over the course of those five months, the trio had learnt that they made a surprisingly excellent team. With Sam's knack for research, Dean's combat skills, and Emily's sharp, calculating mind they were nearly unstoppable. They were like a functioning clock, each of them a gear shifting into place only to move the others forward and continue the cycle. They were a unit. They depended on one another, fought for one another. They were _family._

However, the first few weeks of their ventures as a team had not gone so smoothly. It took Dean a fair amount of time to warm up to Emily, and an even longer amount of time to finally decide that she could be trusted.

The moment of revelation had come about a three and a half months ago when they had been hunting a wendigo in Buckeye, Arizona. Dean could remember every second of the incident, each and every detail as though it were a vivid film, an eternal marathon playing in the theater that was his mind. He could still feel it, the ice-cold fear that had gripped his heart when he saw that the unholy creature had somehow managed to get ahold of Sam. Dean couldn't move, couldn't speak, his throat was dry and parched, his legs refused to work. He was too far away to get to Sam in time, that he knew. It was all he could do to watch as the monster sunk it's razor sharp teeth into his brother's tender flesh. But just when he thought all hope was lost, there was Emily. She came rushing in like a roaring fire. Her blue eyes burned with rage; her expression was alight with both fury and concern. She thrust her denim-clad form into the air, golden brown hair exploding into a beautiful, tangled mess around her shoulders. Her skin shone from the slick layer of sweat that coated her body. Raising up her hands, she shot a burst of flame at the back of the wendigo's head with her flamethrower. The monster writhed and squealed, releasing one final bloodcurdling screech as it crumbled and fell to the ground, a pile of ash. Emily immediately dropped her fierce demeanor and rushed to Sam's side to tend to his wounds. The injuries hadn't been serious, with time and the proper care they had healed easily enough. And though the wendigo incident hadn't been the most ideal way to learn it, Dean now knew that Emily Schneider was most definitely someone whom he could trust.

* * *

"Morning, asshole"

Dean hardly had a chance to register the words that had been spoken to him as a sudden wave of ice cold water splashed over his bare chest. He yelped as he flew out of bed and whirled around to face the whomever had had the audacity to pull such a cruel stunt. His glare was met with a pair of all too familiar mischievous brown eyes. Madison..._ That bitch_**.**

Madison Parker was an old friend of Sam's from his years at Stanford University. After Jessica's death and the disappearance of Sam himself, as well as several of their mutual friends, she began to grow suspicious and took it upon herself to investigate the situation. Her discoveries opened her eyes to an incredible, yet terrifying, new world of monsters, ghosts, and ghouls. Not being one to shy away from danger or a challenge, Madison dove straight into the hunting lifestyle. On one of her later cases, she met Garth Fitzgerald IV who reunited her with her old friend, Sam Winchester. And after some brief catching up, Sam had asked her to join him, his brother, and Emily, on their current case. They needed someone to decode an ancient documentation that had been written in a language that they had not been able to identify. Seeing as Madison was a certified linguist, they would hardly be able to find someone better qualified for the task. She agreed and officially joined up with the trio as of two weeks ago.

"You!" Was all Dean could manage say as he glared down at the young woman.

"Sup, bitch." Madison smirked. "Listen, Em and I found something so you should come check it out."

"Yeah, well look." Dean snarled. "How about you let me go back to sleep and come back when it's not four in the goddamn morning?"

"Ok, sure. See you downstairs in five minutes, shit stick." Madison waved as she exited the room.

Dean gave her the middle finger as she left. Had his mattress and sheets not been soaked clean through with the ice water she had dumped on him, he would have just gone straight back to bed. But because of his current predicament, he decided it would probably be easier just to humor Madison's request. Who knows? Maybe she and Emily had uncovered something that could prove useful.

Once he had dried himself off, Dean threw on jeans and a grey t-shirt, then headed downstairs. He stopped by the kitchen to pour himself a cup of cold coffee from the leftovers of last night's pot. It wasn't the best tasting, but it was caffeine, and right now that was all he needed. Coffee in hand, Dean shuffled into the living room were he assumed Madison and Emily would be waiting. He had assumed right.

The two women were sitting at the coffee table, along with Sam, waiting patiently for the elder Winchester's arrival. The moment Dean stepped into the room Madison stood and applauded.

"Well look who finally decided to join us." She said in a mock-shock tone. "I thought you must have gone back to bed. I was just about to go get you another glass of water."

"I swear if you ever pull something like that again..." Dean grumbled as he sat down beside his brother.

"You'll what?"

Dean said nothing, but sent Madison a glare so fierce that it would have frightened even a demon. But it didn't phase Madison. _Oh, no._ She then responded by giving the older Winchester brother the most innocent smile she could muster.

"I freakin' hate you sometimes." Dean spat as he took a sip of his coffee.

"No, you don't." Madison smirked and leaned across the table.

Dean was about to make a rather rude remark when he was interrupted by a loud cough. Both he and Madison turned to see Sam and Emily looking quite put out.

"Are you two done flirting or should Em and I just leave?" Sam asked, his tone dripping with equal amounts of sarcasm and annoyance.

Dean's face turned bright red. He racked his brain for a half decent comeback, but it was to no avail. Sam seemed rather amused, if not pleased, with his brother's flustered state.

"Look." Dean finally said, his cheeks still a dark crimson. "How about you just show me what the hell it is you found so I can get back to dreaming about banging Angelina Jolie, ok?"

"Sure thing." Emily replied. "But do us all a favor and keep your perverted ass dreams to yourself, ok?"

A loud bang filled the silent space in the conversation and echoed throughout the room as Madison slammed an ancient stone tablet onto the table. She then proceed to throw down a thick stack of papers that hit the wooden surface with a heavy smack. These she shoved towards Dean who upon looking at them felt a vague sense of familiarity.

"I've seen these before..." He muttered as he leafed through the pile, unaware that he had spoken out loud.

"Well no shit, Sherlock." Madison snarked. "These symbols and letters are all used almost exclusively by celestial entities."

"Come again?" Dean asked, his mind not yet fully awake.

"Angels, dumbass." Was Madison's reply.

"Now get a look at this." Sam cut in before his bother had a chance to make one of his cringe-worthy comebacks.

He reached his lengthy arms across the table and handed the tablet to his older brother. Dean took the stone piece into his hands, brushing a thumb gently over the mystic lettering that had been etched onto the grainy surface. He took a sip of coffee and let the cool, bitter liquid run down his throat as he studied the markings, his mind still not making the connection. He looked up, turning to Sam and Emily for answers, all the while being careful to avoid Madison's gaze.

"The writing on the stone." Emily began. "It's Enochian."

Suddenly it all clicked. Why they hadn't been able to make sense of the riddle that was the tablet. They had been looking in all the wrong places. All those hours of pouring over books on different languages, both new and ancient, wasted. Dean then turned to Madison.

"Are you serious?" He muttered in disbelief. "We spent months on this and got nowhere. Then you waltz in here and manage to make sense of this crap in less than two weeks."

"What can I say?" Madison grinned smugly, folding her hands behind her head. "I'm just that good."

"You think Cas could translate this for us?" Dean said as he turned to his brother, ignoring Madison's comment.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't see why not." Sam shrugged.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Dean said as he rose from his seat.

"Who the hell is Cas?" Madison wondered aloud, not directing her question to anyone in particular.

"He's an angel." Emily answered. "I've never actually met him, but he seems to be pretty close to Sam and Dean. I guess he helped them stop the apocalypse and stuff."

"Ah." Madison nodded.

Dean was now kneeling on the floor with his eyes closed and his hands clasped together. He began to mumble a sort of mock prayer that went something like "Castiel get your feathery ass down here pronto." Just as he finished, the ground began to shake. The shaking was furious, it was as though the hooves of a thousand wild stallions were pounding across the earth's surface. Books fell from cluttered shelves; you could just barely make out the sound of them meeting the hard floor over the spin-tingling screech that echoed through the house. A bright light flooded the room, causing everyone to either squint or to close their eyes entirely. Then, all at once, everything became still.

Emily peeked her eyes open and saw a man standing before her. He was tall, of muscular build, had dark hair, blue eyes, and wore a tan trench coat. She quickly decided that he must be Cas. The man then cast a curious glance about the room, as if searching for some unseen object. His gaze fell to Emily and remained there for some time. It was as though he was studying her, trying to unravel a riddle yet to be presented to any but himself. She wanted to look away, but his unnerving blue stare kept her eyes fixed. Finally, he turned to face the one who had summoned him. From the man's lips came a deep, gravelly voice that uttered two simple words.

"Hello, Dean."

* * *

**A/N:** Hello there, dearest reader! I would just like to make a quick note. The present events of this chapter take place at the house of Bobby Singer, who is currently away on a hunt. I thought I had mentioned it somewhere in the chapter, but as I was proofreading I realized that I had not. Since I couldn't really fit these details in anywhere without it reading awkward or adding an entire unnecessary paragraph, I opted to simply add an author's note. They aren't very important details after all and have no real effect on the story. But I thought perhaps you might be curious as to where it was they were staying, so there you have it! That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Castiel took the tablet from Dean's hands and fixed his eyes upon the words that had been carven into the stone with the utmost care and delicacy. The minutes ticked slowly by and the angel had yet to speak a word. He furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, giving the impression that he was displeased with what it was he had read. After what felt to the others like an eternity, he handed the tablet back to Dean. Still, not a word emerged from his mouth, it seemed that he was lost deep in thought.

"Well?" Dean asked, growing impatient. "What does it say?"

"It is a prophecy." Castiel simply stated.

"Ok, wanna elaborate?" Dean pressed.

Castiel sighed and turned his gaze to his feet, his expression that of one whom was deeply troubled and conflicted. He contemplated what should be said, what words would offer the clearest, quickest, and safest explanation to the four hunters that surrounded him. After an extended silence, he finally spoke again.

"The tablet speaks of the Aestus, an object of unimaginable power. It is said that whomever possesses it will hold the entirety of the universe within their grasp. That they will be able to gain control over even time itself. Some have speculated that the Aestus will be used in the second coming of Christ, that He will use it to take back this world and create a new Heaven on earth."

"And is that bad?" Emily questioned, intrigued by the the angel's words.

"It is hard to say." Castiel answered, his expression now unreadable. "But if the Aestus should fall into the wrong hands... It would be chaos."

"Well, damn." Dean hissed.

"Oh my god..." Sam muttered softly, his eyes widening as he too came to the conclusion that his brother had.

"What is it?" Castiel's alarm showed through his voice.

"When we found the tablet," Sam began to explain. "It was with Crowley."

"Well... Damn indeed." Castiel agreed, turning away from the rest of the group.

The room grew quite. The same questions swirled through each individual's mind. How much did Crowley know? How long before he found the Aestus? Or had he found it already? One thing they knew for sure. If Crowley ever got ahold of something even half as powerful as the Aestus, the world would burn. And they would _never_ let that happen.

"I suppose I'll be leaving now." Castiel said.

"Woah, woah!" Dean exclaimed as he reached a hand forward to grab the angel's arm. "Leave and go where?"

"To confront Crowley of course."

"Not alone, you're not!" Dean snapped.

"He's right, Cas." Sam added, his tone more gentle than his brother's. "Crowley is too dangerous for any of us to face alone."

"Hell yeah, he is!" Exclaimed Madison. "Count me in."

"Me too." Came Emily's voice.

Castiel's features darkened. "No, I think it would be better if I went alone."

"You listen to me, Cas." Dean snarled, tightening his grip on the angel's arm. "Either we all go together, or no one goes at all. Capiche?"

"...Yeah. I capiche."

"Good."

Dean maintained his hardened gaze at Cas as he dropped the arm he'd been clutching. He hadn't realized how tightly he'd been holding it until he looked down at his hand and saw that his knuckles were completely white. He gritted his teeth and turned his back to the angel, his eyes remaining on his own pale, shaking palms. When he finally looked up, he was met with the dark, hazel eyes of Madison. She wore not her usual expression of mischief and smugness, but instead her features were soft and painted with, dare he say, _concern?_ He quickly looked away and attempted to push aside the sudden sickening feeling in his gut.

"We leave in twenty." Dean announced and then departed from the room.

Sam and Madison followed, each heading to their own respective bedrooms to pack their belongings for the journey ahead. Emily however, remained in the living room. She stood completely still, eyes fixed on the stone tablet. While the concept of the Aestus intrigued her, it frightened her even more. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but there was just something about this whole situation that unnerved her. When she finally did avert her gaze from the rock, she found that she wasn't alone. Castiel stood across the room, he stared at her with an uneasy look in his deep, blue eyes.

"Why are you doing that?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Doing what?" Was his response.

"Looking at me like I'm some sort of criminal."

"I... I wasn't."

"Yeah, you were." Emily insisted. "And you've been looking at me like that since the moment you got here. What the hell did I even do to you?"

"Perhaps you should just go pack your things like the others." Castiel said cooly, making a point not to answer her.

Oh, Emily was angry now, "Answer the damn question."

"I don't have time for your games, little girl." Castiel spat. "Now do as you're told."

"Fine, asshole."

And with that, Emily turned and stormed from the room. Little girl? Just who did he think he was, speaking to her like that? The nerve. She would show him.

* * *

Once she had reached her room, Emily grabbed her duffle bag and began to stuff it with various articles of clothing. A couple of t-shirts, some jeans, undergarments, a dress, and her favorite denim jacket were all shoved into the pack. She then threw in a bottle of shampoo, some conditioner, soap, and her tooth brush along with some toothpaste and floss.

Emily frowned as she scanned over the packed items. That should be all she would need, so why did she feel like something was missing? Then she remembered. She wondered how she could have forgotten, it was the reason she was here after all. Slowly, she moved toward the nightstand that sat at her bedside. She pulled open the top drawer, reached a hand inside, and pulled out a single, wrinkled piece of paper. She clutched it to her chest and held her eyes shut tight. _One day,_ she told herself. _One day._

"We will find him, you know that, right?" It was Sam's voice that spoke.

Emily opened her eyes and turned in the direction his voice had come from. The younger Winchester brother moved from her doorway where he had been looming, and came to stand beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and with the other, he wiped a tear from Emily's eye that she hadn't realized she'd cried.

"I know." She answered him. "It's just that... This, this whole thing feels kind of hopeless sometimes. I mean, it's been months since I got the note and I'm still no closer to finding my dad than I was when I first got here."

"He is out there, Em." Sam said with sincerity. "And one day you'll find him. Maybe that day is today, maybe it's a year or three years from now, but it will happen, regardless of how impossible it seems right now."

"Yeah... Thanks, Sam." Emily offered him a weak smile. "You're a great friend."

"Sure, anytime." Sam smiled back.

He then removed his hand from her shoulder and excused himself from the room. The sudden silence irked Emily, so she quickly placed the note alongside her other belongings, zipped up the bag, and headed out to her Nova. Sam's words echoed in her mind as she walked. Perhaps he was right, she would find her father eventually, but for now she would have to be patient. For now she would do what she must and focus on the task at hand. Find Crowley, and kick his demon ass back to hell.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily and Madison arrived at the motel before the boys and checked in under the aliases Ashley McCormick and Celia Fisher. Once they had their room keys, they began unloading their belongings from the Nova and took them into the room. They were soon settled in and had the tv going while they relaxed for the remainder of the night. The program on was Merlin, some British show about a young warlock living in a kingdom where magic had been outlawed. It wasn't either of the girls' ideal television show, but it was entertaining enough.

About fifteen minutes into the episode, the boys arrived and had brought dinner with them. Dean tossed each of the girls a burger while Sam handed them fries and a drink. Castiel, who didn't eat anything as he was an angel and had no need to, stood awkwardly by the door. He remained there for several minutes, his gaze shifting about the room in a manner that quite plainly showed his discomfort.

"Cas, get your feathery ass over here." Dean finally said.

And so Castiel did as he was told and moved to take a seat beside Dean. Unfortunately for Cas, sitting by Dean meant that he would also have to sit by Emily and taking into account their argument earlier that day, that was something he did not want to do. Personally, he felt she had overreacted, granted what he had said was by no means polite or gracious, but she hadn't exactly been mature about it either. He wondered if she was still angry with him. To satisfy his curiosity, he snuck a quick glance at her and was greeted with an ice cold glare. Apparently yes then. He then resolved to avoid looking in her general direction for the rest of the evening. Hopefully she will have gotten over it by then. One could never be certain though, humans were rather curious creatures after all.

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked. "I mean, we are dealing with Crowley here, we can't just waltz in and ask the guy what he knows."

"I don't see why not." Dean answered through a mouthful of burger.

"Are you serious?" Sam said with a hint of disbelief. "We'd be dead in a second, Dean. And either way, we all know he would wouldn't cooperate with us."

"Sam is right." Agreed Castiel. "Crowley would never give us information willingly."

"So what, you want us to kidnap him or something?" Emily cut in, her tone sharp and filled with pent up anger.

"Of course not." Castiel retorted. "But a valid threat on his life might suffice."

"Now we're talking." Madison chimed in. "I'm all for taking that punkass motherfucker down!"

"It's settled then." Dean said, finishing up the last of his dinner, crumbling the wrappers and throwing them in the trash. "We kick his sorry demon ass first thing in the morning."

Sam finished his meal as well and quickly cleaned up his mess. The Winchester brothers said their goodnights and headed for the door. Castiel, despite his earlier resolution, was now staring directly at Emily. Luckily, she was too caught up in what was happening on the television to notice him watching her.

As Cas turned to follow the Winchesters from the room, the last thing he heard was a voice from the tv say, "None of us can choose our destinies, Merlin. And none of us can escape it."

"How ironic." He chuckled bitterly to himself.

As the door shut, he cast Emily a final glance. _Ironic indeed._

* * *

Night went and morning came all too quickly and soon enough the group was on the road again. Castiel had been able to discover the location of Crowley's hideout rather easily. With any luck, they had only a few minutes drive left before they would arrive.

No one could deny that they felt a little nervous about this endeavor, but Castiel had far more reason to be afraid than the others. He was the only one who knew just how much was at stake, how much risk was involved, the cost if they should fail. And he could tell no one. It was maddening.

They arrived at a large, abandoned warehouse. And if the crumbling exterior was anything to go by, it wouldn't be standing for much longer. Cracks ran along the outer walls of the building and down to it's base. Full, green ivy wound it's way through broken brick and the weather-worn, steel roof. The only part of the structure not in complete ruin was the thick metal door that closed the building's contents off from the rest of the world.

Emily and Madison hopped from the Nova and gathered up their weapons just as the boys were exiting the Impala. They started heading towards the building, with Emily in the lead. Dean, being of the protective nature that he was, reached forth a hand, pulled her back and stepped to the front of the line. When they reached the door, they found that it was open just a crack.

"I don't like this." Emily whispered. "It's too easy."

"I agree." Said Castiel. "Something's not right here."

"So you think this could be a trap?" Sam asked.

"I'm afraid so." Castiel nodded, his expression grave. "And we've walked right into it."

"We didn't come all this way for nothing." Dean glared at the open doorway, "Trap or not, we're going in."

With that statement, he yanked the door open and stepped over the threshold. Madison followed closely behind him. Before they knew what was happening, the door slammed shut with enough force to shake the entire building.

"Dean!" Sam shouted as he tried to pry the door open.

It was no use. The door refused to budge. Madison and Dean were _trapped._ A rustling in the bushes nearby alerted Sam, Emily, and Cas that they were no longer alone. A group of what must have been at least a dozen and a half demons leapt out at the trio. Their eyes were black as a starless night sky, and their bared teeth were whiter than freshly fallen snow. The two hunters and their angel companion unsheathed their weapons and braced themselves for the fight that was sure to ensue.

Emily was the first of the three to land a blow. Using the angel blade that she had obtained on a case a few years back, she tore through the flesh of a tall raven-haired demon with ease. She moved to strike a second of the black-eyed creatures and ended his miserable life just as quickly. Sam thrust his own blade forward, into the gut of an unsuspecting blond male demon. Castiel however, had been the only one of the three to notice that their little battle was being watched from the foliage by none other than Crowley himself. A quick glance at the mess of fallen vessels strewn about the ground was all he needed to assure himself that Emily and Sam could manage on their own. And so he made the decision to go after the King of Hell, _alone._

* * *

The inside of the warehouse was pitch black and ice cold. The air smelled mostly of sulfur and blood, a rather sickening combination if truth be told. A couple minutes of banging and shouting at the door told Dean and Madison that they were indeed trapped inside this awful place. They resolved to move further inside, seeing as escaping wasn't really an option.

"Take my hand." Madison said quietly.

"Aw, is somebody scared?" Dean teased.

"No way, asshat." She retorted. "I just don't want you to get lost."

"So you do care. Really, I'm touched."

"Yes, I do care." Madison snapped. "I care that you have a shitty sense of direction and that Sam would kick my ass if I let you get lost. Now shut the hell up."

Dean couldn't help but smile as he took up her hand in his. God, she was an awful liar. Hand in hand, the pair crawled cautiously along the dank floor, using the grime covered wall as their guide. Slowly, their eyes began to adjust to the darkness. The inky black was almost preferable to the gruesome site that lay before them.

The remains of heavily mutilated bodies lay scattered across the stone floor. Both dried and fresh blood seeped through cracks in the ground. Here and there a mouse or rat sat nibbling contently on some of the more recent corpses.

"Well, shit." Madison muttered under her breath.

"You can say that again." Dean breathed.

"Well, shit."

"Shut up!"

Madison was about to protest before Dean pulled her into one of the larger holes in the ground. He pressed a finger against her lips, signaling for her to be silent. It took a moment for her to realize why.

The pitter patter of footsteps echoed throughout the dark room. They moved closer and closer, stopping once they stood almost directly over where the two hunters were hiding.

"I could'a swore I 'eard voices down 'ere!" A crude, shrill voice said.

"You was just imagining it, Duncan." A second, deeper voice responded. "There's no one 'ere."

"There was too someone 'ere, I 'eard 'em with m'own ears, I swears!" The one called Duncan insisted.

"Well I don't see anyone." The second voice said.

"They was 'ere, Shep, we just gots to find 'em." Duncan assured. "Jus' think what the boss would do if we was the ones to find those two buffoons."

Madison and Dean froze, they both knew that they were the "buffoons" these two beings were searching for. And if by "boss" those two meant Crowley, they were in trouble. Whatever that he wanted with them, they could be sure that it wasn't anything pleasant.

"He'd give us a right nice reward for sure." The one called Shep pipped. "What does 'e want with those two anyway?"

"I dunno." Duncan answered. "The important thing is we find 'em. Come on, mate, they can't 'ave got far!"

The footsteps began again and continued until they had faded into the distance entirely. Dean pulled himself from the hole and then proceeded to help Madison out.

"We have to get out of here." Dean said in hushed voice. "Cuz whatever Crowley wants with us, it ain't good."

Madison nodded and took his hand again. Dean shot her an encouraging smile and the two then continued their trek through the warehouse. Meanwhile those outside had other problems.

* * *

Castiel raced after Crowley, angel blade in hand. He chased him through a thick forest, bounding over small boulders and fallen logs as he went. He would have simply used his angel powers to catch up, but they had been warded somehow. The chase continued on for what must been miles until they came to a large clearing. Crowley stood in the center, a smug expression on his face.

"Well." He smirked. "If it isn't my favorite ball of feathers. Hello, Cassie."

"Crowley." Castiel said through gritted teeth.

"I take it you haven't come all this just way to chat." The demon king said, taking a step towards the angel. "So, tell me. What can I do for you?"

"For starters you can tell me where you found that tablet."

"Tablet?" Crowley pretended to look briefly confused before putting on a sudden look of recollection. "Ah, yes. The one about the Aestus wasn't it? A gift from a friend. Anything else I tell you?"

"How much do you know?"

"About the Aestus? Oh, I know plenty. Enough in fact, to know that it was worth risking my own life to get you away from that _girl_."

Castiel froze, "What did you say?"

"You heard me, feathers. The jig is up. I know what she is. And once I've got the key, all I need to do is find the lock and the Aestus is mine."

"This... This was a distraction." Castiel couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.

Crowley would never put himself in any immediate danger, he was too much of a coward for that. Unless of course it meant getting ahold of the most powerful object in the entire universe. His only hope now was to get back to Emily before it was too late. He turned and sprinted from the scene, silently cursing whatever spell that damn demon had used to block his angel powers. Behind him, Crowley stood watching, a smug grin on his face.

"Off you go, little Cas." He said, amusement painting his tone. "Run and save your precious female before it's too late."


	5. Chapter 5

Emily found herself being backed into a corner. Demons seemed to pour out of nowhere, like rain water from a clear blue sky. Sam lay on the ground unconscious a few feet away. Why the demons had yet to kill him, Emily did not know. She was completely surrounded now. The black-eyed vessels reached and clawed at her, grinning from ear to ear as they did. One of them managed to grasp her blade and pull it from her hands.

"This is it." Emily thought to herself. "I'm going to die."

Having accepted her fate, Emily let herself sink to the ground and placed her hands around her knees. Grimy hands groped and pulled at her. She couldn't stand it. Fear took hold and she began to feel something well up inside her. A sort of raging fire, just waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting forest. Emily panicked, she had felt this once before. This same burning sensation that threatened to consume her entire being.

"No!" She cried out, not realizing she had spoken aloud.

She couldn't let happen again. She wouldn't. She gritted her teeth and hugged her knees tighter. Not even a single breath was allowed to escape her lips, for fear that whatever burned inside her would escape with it. Still the blazing heat crept up her throat, edging to the tip of her tongue and threatening to burst from her lips. Emily clenched her teeth tighter, she would not allow it to happen, not again. Memories, grotesque images from her last encounter still haunted her mind.

Back in Germany, she had been clearing a nest of vamps with her two closest friends, Karl and Julie. Unfortunately, the three hunters had severely underestimated the number of vampires in the nest, and as a result, had been overpowered. The bloodthirsty monsters had them surrounded. One of them managed to get ahold of Julie and that's when Emily went into full panic mode; watching your best friend be sucked dry by a mass of vampires had a tendency to do that to a person. That was when she first felt it, that bubbling heat rising up inside her, coursing through her veins. It burned inside her body until she could contain it no more. She remembered dropping to the ground, screaming as she went. And then, nothing.

When Emily awoke, there was a faint ringing in her ears. She attempted to stand, but her dizzy head would not permit the action. She quickly dropped to the ground again, closed her eyes and gave herself a moment to clear her spinning mind. When she was finally able to open her eyes again, she was met with a site that made her wish she had kept them shut. The bodies of the vampires lay strewn all around. Their heads were gone, but the hadn't been cut off. No. They looked as if they had exploded, popped open like a juicy cherry under the weight of crushing jaws. Blood and innards painted the once green grass a stomach-turning shade of red. But that wasn't the worst part. Karl lay beside her, his body limp and unmoving. Where his eyes once resided were two, dark holes, as if they had been burned from the sockets. Julie's corpse was the same. Emily panicked. Who could have done this? What manner of creature had that kind of power? Or even worse... What if she herself had been the one to perform this barbaric act? After all, there was no was else here. Just her. And that would imply that... No. She couldn't have. Could she? But what if... What if she involuntarily murdered her two best friends? It was a possibility that could not be ignored. Faced with the frightening reality, Emily did the only thing she could do. She ran.

And now here she was, that same cursed fire welling up inside her, taking control of her entire being. She wouldn't let it. Not this time. She bit down on her tongue until it bleed and then bit harder. She had to stop it. But the harder she tried to keep it in, the harder it tried to escape.

"Emily!" A voice sounded inside her head.

That voice... She knew that voice. So familiar, yet so distant. A hand was placed on her shoulder, and she knew that it belonged to no demon. The heat seemed to be drawn from her body and into the hand, like poison being sucked from a wound. She grimaced at the feeling, but felt relief when the act was done.

"Keep your eyes closed." The voice commanded.

Emily did as she was told. She felt the air around her grow suddenly hot. A ringing sounded, along with the flapping of feathered wings. She was tempted to open her eyes, to sneak a peak at what was happening, but then she remembered her instructions and kept them shut tight. The air grew cool again and she wondered if it was over. As if it could read her mind, the voice spoke again, this time not in her head.

"It's alright. You can open your eyes now. They're gone."

Emily opened her eyes and squinted at the bright light. The demons, they had vanished. She turned to see who had been her savior and was little more than disappointed with who it was she saw. Castiel stood above her, his face emotionless as ever.

"What the hell did you do?" She demanded, as though the entire situation had been his fault to begin with.

"I did what needed to be done."

"No. Don't you give me any of that bullshit!" Emily fumed. "I want answers. Real answers!"

"All in good time." Castiel assured her. "Right now we have a bigger problem to concern ourselves with."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Crowley." Was the angel's answer. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Castiel then hoisted Sam's unconscious form onto his shoulders and headed towards Emily's car. He lay the younger Winchester across the back seat, propping up his legs in a fashion that would enable him to fit inside the vehicle with the door shut. Once this was done, Cas climbed in the passenger side and signaled for Emily to get in the car.

"We can't just leave!" She shouted from outside. "What about Dean and Madison?"

Castiel exited the car and walked over to her. He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and refused to let her move.

"Listen to me, Emily. Dean and Madison are perfectly capable of looking after themselves."

"Maybe they are," Emily snapped, "but they're my friends, and I'm not leaving them behind."

"You can't help them." Castiel snarled back. "If you go back you'll only make things worse for all of us and I am not about to let that happen."

"I don't care what you say, I'm going after them."

"Emily, please..." His tone was more gentle now. "Just this once I ask that you trust me."

"...Ok." She finally said after a moment's hesitation.

Castiel got back into the Nova and Emily followed. She pulled her keys from her pocket and started up the engine. As they drove away, Emily could only hope and pray that she had made the right decision.

* * *

Dean and Madison couldn't deny that they were beginning to lose hope of ever finding a way out of this wretched place. For hours they had picked their way through dark halls and dank rooms, and still, nothing. This place was a labyrinth, an endless maze of death and destruction. The further in they went, the more lost they became. And when they tried to retrace their steps, the way they had come could not be found. It had vanished, as though some sort of cruel magicians trick. One thing was for certain, there was no escaping this madhouse. Not ever.

"Dean!" Madison whispered urgently. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Someone's coming!"

The pair slid into an alcove in the wall. The space was fairly small so fitting both of them inside meant being uncomfortably close. Madison's head rested against Dean's chest, with his arms wrapped around her waist. Had they not been in a life threatening situation, Madison would have been sure to chide him for holding her as though she were a small child. They remained still for several minutes, keeping as quite as they could.

"I don't hear anything." Dean finally said. "Be right back, I'm gonna go take a look."

"Dean, no!" Protested Madison.

But it was too late. Dean had already stepped from their hiding place. And for a moment, all appeared to be well. But then a thick, heavy object came seemingly out of nowhere and hit him on the back of the head. Dean's fell to the ground with a smack. A pained moan escaped his lips jut before he slipped into unconsciousness. Madison panicked, attempting to stay silent as best she could. But it was to no avail. A hand reached out and pulled her roughly from her hiding place. She glared up at her captor, a tall, pale-skinned woman with long, dark hair that fell down her back in snake-like curls.

"My my, would you look what we have here." The woman said, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Let go of me, you bitch!" Madison growled.

"Well, since you asked so nicely."

The woman thrust Madison to the ground and kicked her head with enough force to knock her out for at least an hour or two. She then turned to the two men who stood behind her.

"Tell Crowley that I've found his prize."

"Yes, ma'm." They both said simultaneously.

She watched them as they fled into the darkness. Once they were gone she leaned over the two bodied that lay side by side at her feet.

"Not long now." She smiled and then vanished into the black abyss.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean regained consciousness slowly. His head throbbed and he moaned as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. Heavy chains bound him to a metal slate that was propped up against the wall. A table sat nearby, and upon it rested various weapons and tools that were undoubtably meant for torture. To his right, a door opened and in walked the King of Hell himself.

"Crowley." Dean grunted, glaring at the demon who stood before him.

"Hello, Squirrel." Crowley smiled.

"What do you want with me?"

Crowley ignored the question, but instead moved to the table, took up one of the knives and twiddled it in his hands. "Quite the girlfriend you've got yourself." He remarked. "Very feisty, just how I like them."

"She's not my girlfriend." Dean mumbled, looking away from the demon.

Again, Crowley elected to ignore his comment. "I tried not to have too much fun with her, really I did. But the stubborn ones are just so entertaining, it's hard not to get carried away."

"The hell did you do to her?!" Dean demanded, his voice now full of rage.

"Just a little foreplay." The demon answered, licking his lips as he did. "But enough about her, let's talk about that other wench you and brother picked up, Emily was it?"

Dean wasn't sure why Crowley would be interested in Emily, but was determined that the demon would gain no information from him. "Like I'd tell you anything."

"Oh, I think you will." Crowley smirked, then called over his shoulder. "Amanda, bring the girl in."

The door opened again and in walked a woman, who Dean presumed to be Amanda, wheeling a metal tumbril. She stopped in the center of the room and set it upright. Strapped to the tumbril was Madison. Her shirt and jeans had been removed, leaving her in only a tank top and underwear. Her legs and arms were covered with red streaks that would indicate that she had been violently whipped. A gash ran across her left cheek, just under her eye. Her hair was matted with clumps of dried blood and sparse pieces of broken glass. She lifted her head and shot Dean a weak smile before dropping it again. A rage like nothing he had ever felt before welled up inside Dean. He clenched his jaw and tightened his fists. He was going to make Crowley pay dearly for hurting her.

"So," Crowley began, a smug grin on his face, "we can do this the easy way, where you answer my questions and in return I let you two idiots go. Or, you can play hard to get and I'll force you watch as I carve little Maddie here into my own personal masterpiece. Might even hang her on the fridge when I'm done."

"You son of a bitch." Dean breathed, attempting to control his rage but failing. "I swear when I get out of here I will hunt you down and burn your sorry demon ass!"

"If you get out." Crowley corrected. "And seeing as I've got you tied up, that won't be anytime soon."

He walked over to where Madison lay bloodied and bruised. Taking the blade he had been fiddling with, he cut an x onto her thigh. Madison bit down on her tongue, determined not to give the demon the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in pain. The blood dripped down her pale leg and onto the floor, forming a tiny, red pool.

"You're gonna have to do better than that." Madison spat.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I intend to." Crowley then turned to the woman, who had been standing and watching silently. "Oh and Amanda, do be a dear and take care of that pesky angel for me. We can't have him getting in the way of our plans again."

"Of course, father."

Father? Dean blinked in surprise, "Oh, so you have a daughter now too?"

"Mhmm." The demon nodded. "Bloody wife had twins."

"And let me guess, she was the favorite?" Dean asked, gesturing to Amanda.

"What can I say?" Crowley shrugged. "The boy was a complete pansy, a whiny little cunt, just like his mother."

"Gavin was an ignorant fool." Amanda added. "He subjected our entire family to shame and ridicule. He had no sense of loyalty."

"But you did." Crowley smiled proudly at his daughter. "Always at my side, devotion never wavering. Even going as far as to follow me down to Hell."

"So you let your own kid be turned into a demon?" Dean voiced with disgust. "Even for you that's pretty damn twisted."

"My father was right in his actions." Amanda cut in. "Emotion and morals cloud the mind, effect one's judgement. The process of removing a soul is painful beyond measure, but the result is worth it."

"Yeah, because who wants to have a heart when you can be a soulless bitch." Madison said with blatant sarcasm.

"Preciously." Amanda's tone was stone cold. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an angel to dispose of."

* * *

Castiel waited until Emily and Sam had both fallen asleep for the night before slipping out of the hotel room. The brisk autumn air felt cool against his skin, it was quite refreshing if truth be told. He walked a sort distance to a nearby farm that had been most certainly abandoned. While he could have used his angel powers to instantly zap himself to the spot he now stood, Castiel had opted for walking instead, as it would give him more time to plan what needed to be said. He remained still for sometime, waiting patiently for his appointment to arrive. Finally, he heard the loud flapping of wings he had been waiting for.

"Alright Castiel, I'm here." Said a voice from behind him.

"Gabriel." Cas greeted cooly as he turned to face the archangel.

"Yeah, yeah. Cut to the chase. What'd you call me out here for?"

"Crowley knows."

"Knows what?"

"About the Aestus, about everything."

"So what?" Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter, just so long as that s.o.b doesn't get his grubby hands on it. You're overreacting, Cassie."

Perhaps Castiel was overreacting, but if he was, it was only because he had a far more delicate matter on his mind. Crowley was just a front, an excuse for him to talk to Gabriel when his true intention was to bring up something else entirely. And now that he had his chance, Castiel was hesitant. He knew that his brother wouldn't react well, in fact, only days ago he himself would have thought that the very thing he was about to suggest was insane. But in the light of recent events, it was something that he now knew clearly needed to be done.

"There is...something else." Cas said quietly, after a moment of silence.

"Shoot."

"I think you should tell her."

Gabriel's face fell, "You know I can't."

"And why not?" Castiel was angry now. For what right did his brother have to keep a secret that was not truly his own?

"Because... Because I love her." The archangel muttered, his eyes avoiding Castiel's gaze. "And dammit, I'm not letting her get hurt again, not on my account."

"You know what, Gabriel?" Castiel said as he turned to walk away. "If you really loved her. You would own up to your responsibilities and tell her the truth."

* * *

When Castiel arrived back at the motel, he knew something wasn't quite right. It was cold, unnervingly quiet, and the air smelled faintly of sulfur. The angel reached into his trench coat and slipped out his blade. Weapon in hand, Castiel took a glance at his surroundings. He saw nothing too unusual. But then he heard it, the faint tap, tap, tap of shoes on concrete. He whirled around and came face to face with a dark haired young woman. She smiled up at him and her eyes turned solid black. _A demon._ Castiel took a step back and raised up his blade.

She edged forward and spoke, her tone sickeningly sweet, "Hello, Castiel."

Cas was confused, "Have we met?"

"No, but I've heard a lot about you."

Before Castiel had a chance to respond, two arms reached out and grabbed him from behind. His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to pull away. He couldn't. Whomever was holding him had a grip stronger than any he'd ever felt before. A strange warmth spread over his body and he felt himself grow weak at the knees. His captor released him and he feel to the ground. His head was spinning, his eyelids grew heavy. He could just barely make out a second male figure that came to stand beside the woman before his mind slipped into oblivion.


	7. Chapter 7

Emily awoke with a uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She glanced over at the other bed in the room and saw Sam sleeping peacefully. She felt a little less anxious at the sight of at least one of her friends safe. Being as quiet as she could manage, Emily slipped out of bed and wandered into the bathroom to get dressed for the day. When she came out, she found Sam sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning, Sam." She said.

"Hey, Em." He yawned. "So, what exactly happened yesterday? I mean, I remember the warehouse, Dean and Madison getting locked inside and then you, me, and Cas getting jumped by demons, but after that it's like I wasn't even there."

"That would probably be because one of the demons managed to knock you out." Emily informed him.

She then proceeded to relay to him the details of the previous day's happenings. She told him about how Cas had vanished in the middle of the fight. How she had been cornered after he had passed out. She talked about how Cas had reappeared just in time to save them both. She did however, leave out the bit about the burning sensation she had felt surface inside her once she had been surrounded. The whole situation had frightened her and she really wasn't ready to talk about it. Not yet anyway. First she wanted to talk to Cas and find out what exactly it was he had done to her. It was strange, she could still almost feel his hand resting firmly on her shoulder, as it had the day before when he had saved her and Sam. She raised up her own hand and placed it where his had resided, the skin tingled under her touch. She shuddered and quickly pulled her hand away, returning her focus to the man standing in front of her.

"Where is Cas anyway?" Sam asked. "Did he say he have to leave or something?"

"No, he didn't." Emily felt her stomach tighten. "In fact, he made a point last night to tell me that he would be staying with us so he could figure out what to do about Dean and Madison..."

"That's weird."

"Maybe he's outside." Emily said, trying her best to remain calm. "I'll go check."

"I'll come with you."

The pair ventured from the motel room, unsure of what they would find. They both immediately noticed the faint smell of sulfur and exchanged a worried glance. Emily's hands were beginning to shake, she felt more and more afraid as the minutes wore on. Then she found something that made her heart nearly stop.

"Sam!" She called the other hunter over.

"What is it, Em?" He asked.

She held out her hands, in which rested a long, thin metal object. "It's Cas's angel blade." She said, trying to conceal her concern. "I found it lying on the ground over there."

She pointed to a spot nearby as she spoke. Sam took the blade in hand and studied it, a frown forming on his lips. It was indeed Castiel's angel blade that Emily had found. And if the sulfuric scent in air was anything to go by, this had been the work of demons. Somehow they must have managed to restrain Cas and he dropped his weapon in the struggle. There was no other logical explanation.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam asked.

"That Cas was attacked by demons? Yeah."

"So, what now? Do we go after him?"

"What good would that do?" Emily said, her voice trembling.

She wanted to go after Cas, she really did. For she had questions that only he could answer. But what use would it be? They didn't know where the demons had taken him, he could be anywhere.

"We haven't got a clue where he is." She continued. "I think... I think we should go after Dean and Madison."

"But, you told me that Cas said you shouldn't go back. That if you did you'd only make things worse for all of us."

"Yeah well, Cas is gone now. What other choice do we have, Sam? Do you honestly want to leave Madison and your brother in Crowley's hands?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then it's settled. I'll go pack."

As she trudged back to the motel room, Emily wondered if she was making the right decision. She felt conflicted, as though her soul had been torn in two. Because Sam was right, Castiel had made a point of telling her not to return to the warehouse. That it was too dangerous. But on then other hand, she couldn't just stand by and leave her friends at the mercy of a cruel, sadist demon either. Whether the choice she had made was wrong or right, it was better than sitting and doing nothing.

* * *

"Ah, Amanda." Crowley greeted as he glanced up. "I trust you've taken care of our fine feathered friend."

"The angel has been dealt with." Amanda nodded. "It's a shame you couldn't have been there to see it yourself. His face was priceless."

In the next room, Dean listened intently to the two demons' conversation. His heart sank the moment Amanda's words reached his ears. Cas was _dead._ How could this be true? How? Cas might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he certainly wasn't weak. How could one small demon have managed to have overpower an angel of the Lord? It didn't add up. The thought of losing one of his best friends was almost too much to bear. Dean's eyes brimmed with warm tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks and onto the floor below.

"Dammit, Cas." He choked, his throat so tight he could hardly force the words from his mouth.

"Oh Dean, I... I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? How could you be sorry? You hardly knew the guy!" Dean thundered. "Don't pretend that you care!"

Madison didn't respond and Dean quickly regretted his harsh words. Slowly, he raised his head and met Madison's gaze. Her eyes glistened with nothing but sympathy and concern. Dean felt sick to his stomach. Here he was, practically untouched by Crowley, shouting at the woman who had been forced to bear the pain that should have been his own. She had been beaten, her flesh had been cut and mutilated. And yet here she was, apologizing for something that wasn't even her fault, trying to comfort Dean when he should have been the one comforting her. For he had dragged her into this mess and she alone had been left to face the consequences.

"Look, I'm sorry, Madison." Dean said, his throat still tight. "I shouldn't have said that, it's just that, Cas... He was my friend and I just don't know what I-what we'll do without him."

"It's all right, Dean." Madison smiled. "I know what it's like to lose a friend. After Jess died I felt like the entire world had come crashing down around me. Nothing made sense anymore, I was angry all the time, I..." She paused and averted her gaze to the ground for a brief moment. "My point is, things'll be rough for a while, but you don't have to do this alone. We'll pull through this. Together."

Dean managed a weak smile and nodded, "Together."

* * *

Castiel was raised from his unconscious state by a sharp pain in his side. He yelped and sat straight up where he had been laying. He placed a hand to his side and the pain relented. Once he had a moment to clear his head, he took a quick look at his surroundings. He was in a small one room apartment, complete with a kitchenette, bathroom and an alarming amount of Ikea furniture. A sudden voice sounded behind him, a voice he recognized almost immediately. He turned to face the speaker and was meet with the exact face he had expected to see.

"Cas, so good to see you again, it's been ages."

"I would hardly refer to the length of three weeks as ages, Balthazar." Castiel remarked, as he stood up. "And yes, it is good to see you too. Though I must confess I am a bit confused as to _why_ I'm seeing you."

"Ah yes, about that...Look Cas, I really am sorry about the whole knocking you out thing."

"That was you?" Castiel's expression held a hint of disbelief.

"Yes, I'm afraid it was. But you have to understand that it was necessary in order to-"

Balthazar's words were cut off by the slam of a door, followed by a series of quick moving footsteps. The door to the apartment in which the two angels stood opened, and in walked a woman who Castiel felt seemed vaguely familiar. He knew he had seen her somewhere before, he just couldn't quite put his feathers on it. Then he remembered. She had been the same woman he had seen last night before he blacked out. _The demon._ Castiel shoved Balthazar aside and flung himself at the demon. He pinned her to the ground, wrapped his hands around her throat and began to strangle her. Balthazar was at his side in seconds, attempting to pull him away.

"It's alright, Cas!" The sandy-haired angel tried to assure his brother as he pried his fingers from the demon's neck. "She's with me!"

"What?" Castiel froze, his eyes locking with Balthazar's, hoping, pleading for an explanation.

"You heard him." The demon stated cooly. "Now release me."

Castiel hesitated a moment before allowing her to slip from his grasp. She stood, dusted herself off, and then moved to stand beside Balthazar, arms folded across her chest and lips pulled back in a thin line.

"You're working with a demon?" Castiel asked after a brief silence.

"Yes Cas, I am. But before you start to lecture me, allow me to explain."

"Explain?" Castiel said angrily. "What explanation could there possibly be for this?"

"Please, Cas." Balthazar was practically begging now. "Just hear me out. I promise there is a reason as to why Amanda and I are working together, a pretty damn good one too."

"You are familiar with the Aestus, I trust?" Amanda cut in, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yes, of course I am." Castiel nodded, he already didn't like where this was going.

"And I take it you are also aware that my father, Crowley, has made plans to obtain it?"

"You-" The dark haired angel's eyes narrowed. "You're Crowley's daughter?"

"That is what I just said."

He turned to the other angel, his expression dark and enraged. "You're working with Crowley's daughter? Really, Balthazar? Even for you this is madness."

"Ugh." Balthazar groaned. "Would you just shut up for five minutes and listen? Father almighty, you can be such a stick in the mud."

"Listen to what?" Castiel snarled. "Listen to this demon whore and her godforsaken lies? Allow her to manipulate and deceive us both?

"I'm not interested in manipulating or deceiving anyone but my own father." Amanda announced.

Castiel's sharp glare was enough to let her know that he didn't believe her. "Why would you betray Crowley?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She practically laughed in his face. "He's the one who drug me down to Hell and damned my soul to a millennia of torture. I spent my whole life cowering in his shadow, I know him better than anyone. I'd sooner die than let him get his hands on the Aestus for a even single second."

"There, you see." Balthazar clapped his hands together. "Her motives are nothing more than distrust fueled purely by revenge. Now, let's all put our differences behind us and try to get along, shall we?"

Castiel eyed the demon warily. No one could doubt that her hatred for her father was anything but genuine, her tone and expression when she spoke of him could not have made it any clearer. But because of what she was, he doubted her integrity. Even if she did help put an stop to Crowley's plans, there was no telling that she wouldn't try to take the Aestus for herself afterwards. But Balthazar seemed to trust her, which was odd. Balthazar trusted only a handful of individuals, those being Castiel himself, Ezekiel, Inias, and now apparently this demon. Castiel decided that he would need to know the full details of their situation before he could make a proper assessment.

"Very well." Was all he said.

Balthazar smiled and nodded his thanks to Cas and then turned to Amanda. Castiel listened silently as she relayed the latest developments of Crowley's schemes. She also mentioned briefly the two humans that he was currently keeping inside the warehouse. This caught Castiel's attention and he immediately interrupted to inquire after them. Once Amanda had assured him that they would be kept safe and that arrangements had already been made for their "escape", he grew quiet again. It wasn't until the demon had left that he spoke again.

"I know you trust her, brother." Castiel said to Balthazar. "But why?"

The other angel walked over to the apartment's kitchenette and poured himself a glass of champagne before answering. "That's a long story, Cas."

"I need to know."

"Very well." Balthazar sighed, taking a sip the beverage. "You know that I faked my own death."

Castiel nodded.

"Well, let's just say that when I did, things didn't quite go to plan." Balthazar's voice grew softer as he spoke. "In the last battle we fought together, both my wings were damaged. I could still fly so I didn't think anything of it until I fell to earth. They snapped before I had made it halfway down and I...I should have died, Cas." Balthazar paused for a moment before continuing. "Of course the impact of hitting the ground wouldn't have been enough to kill me, but once I had landed I couldn't move. My vessel was completely paralyzed, and with both my wings in ruins, I couldn't very well leave his body. I spent days lying in an open field, hoping to Father that someone would figure out that I had faked my death and come looking. But no one did. Not even you"

"Had I known the truth I would certainly have come to your aid." Castiel said quietly. "But as it was, you did such an excellent job that no one suspected for a moment that you were still alive."

"It was rather convincing, wasn't it?" Balthazar smirked. "But anyway, Amanda happened upon me in my helpless state. I thought for certain she was going to kill or torture me, but she didn't. Instead she took pity on me and brought me to a small house in the country where she nursed me back to health. I admit that I didn't trust her at first either, but with time I found her to be a rather pleasant companion. We eventually became friends and one night after a bit too much to drink, she opened up and told me, well, everything. I don't feel that it's my place to tell you what she said, but I will tell you this, if you knew of even half the things that bloody piece of filth father of her's has put her through, you wouldn't be questioning where her loyalties lie. And as for the Aestus, she only wants it to be put somewhere safe. We both agree it's far too dangerous to be used by _anyone_, demon and angel alike."

Castiel's gaze hardened, "You know I need the Aestus to fight Raphael."

"Cas," Balthazar sighed, "We've been over this. It's much too big of a risk."

"I can handle it."

"No, you can't." Balthazar's tone was firm. "Look, I know you think you're doing the right thing, but the reality is that our family is going to hate one another no matter what. The fighting doesn't end with this war and the sooner you realize that, the better."

Castiel looked to the floor, he knew in his heart that his brother spoke the truth. But a part of him still dared to believe that if he triumphed over Raphael he could end this. He could end the fighting and bickering, stop the killing. And the Aestus would enable him to do just that. But then he had another thought, _Emily..._ If he used the Aestus she would be sure to feel the consequences. It might even kill her. Castiel cringed at the thought. He knew could not let that happen, he was a warrior, not a murderer. He wouldn't take an innocent life to gain power, that would make him just as bad as Raphael. No, there had to be another way.

"You care about her." Balthazar's statement caught Castiel off guard.

"I-what?"

"The girl, Emilia or whatever her name is."

"It's Emily." Castiel corrected. "And I only care that she doesn't get hurt by all of this. She shouldn't be forced into matters that don't concern her."

"Oh, but they do concern her." Balthazar retorted. "You should know that better than anyone."

Castiel clenched his fists to his side, "I won't allow her to be involved in any of this."

Balthazar open his mouth to respond but his brother had already vanished. He shrugged and poured himself a second glass of champagne, all the while smiling to himself.

"Oh, Cassie." He chuckled. "You've got it bad."


	8. Chapter 8

The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon when Sam and Emily pulled up to the warehouse. They gathered up their weapons, climbed out of the Nova and headed towards the crumbling structure. A rush of wind along with a chorus of flapping wings sounded behind them. The two hunters spun around and were shocked with who it was they saw.

"Cas?" Emily said in a whisper.

"Oh my god, you're alive." Sam breathed. "What happened? We thought you had been kidnaped by demons."

"A demon." Castiel corrected. "And her reasons for doing so were only to make Crowley believe that I was dead. But more importantly, what are you two doing here?"

"We came to save Dean and Madison, bu-" Sam's words were cut short.

"I told you not to return to this place." Castiel said, his gaze trained on Emily.

She quickly looked to the ground. She knew that she had no excuse for her actions. Not one that Castiel would buy into at least. Sam seemed to sense her discomfort and placed his arm around her shoulders. Emily looked up and smiled at him, grateful for the support. Sam returned the smile. Castiel eyed the two with an expression that could not be easily read. He turned his head and looked away, unnerved by the unfamiliar sinking feeling in his gut.

"We need to leave as soon as possible." He attempted to speak calmly but his voice betrayed him and cracked as he uttered the last few words of his statement.

Emily was quick to protest. "But what about Dean an-"

"They'll be fine." Castiel snapped. "The demon I spoke of earlier has already made plans to help them escape."

Emily and Sam exchanged a glance before following Castiel back to the Nova. The angel walked quickly, arms at his sides and fists clenched tight. Emotions that he couldn't comprehend welled up inside him. He felt empty, yet full, like his heart was going to burst and he didn't understand why. Cas had been standing in front of the Nova for a full five minutes now, though he didn't realize it. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Emily staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Cas, are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"I'm fine." He grunted.

"Well, it's just that..." Emily's voice trailed off as she cast her gaze downward at the car door.

Castiel looked down and saw that his fingers were gripping the door handle tightly. He let loose his grasp and was astonished to find that the metal had been bent to match the shape of his hand.

"Sorry." He muttered gruffly.

The two syllables had only just rolled off the angel's tongue when a figure appeared out of thin air and lunged at him. Castiel found himself being pushed to the ground by two forceful hands on his chest. He looked up at his attacker and felt immediate betrayal when he saw her face and realized her identity.

"Hester!" He grunted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Only what needs to be done." She hissed in response.

The blonde angel keep him pinned to the earth with one hand, in the other she held her silver blade high above her head. Her stance resembled a cobra, coiled and ready to strike her prey with deadly venom. Castiel looked to Emily and Sam with the intention of telling them to run and save themselves. But alas, he found the two hunters to be in situations unfortunately similar to his own. An angel who was called Virgil had Sam's body pressed against the side of the Nova. Castiel knew the full potential of Virgil's strength; Sam wouldn't be escaping his grasp anytime soon. Emily was being held by Simeon, an angel that had fought in Castiel's garrison prior to the evasion of the apocalypse.

"Simeon!" He called to the angel for aid.

"I'm sorry, brother." Said Simeon, avoiding Castiel's gaze. "This is how it must be."

"Take the girl to Raphael." Hester commanded. "Make certain he knows it was I who was responsible for her capture."

Simeon nodded and wrapped his arms around Emily, preparing to fly her to heaven. But before he could manage to get even an inch off the ground, a sickening slice was heard. Everyone's turned their heads in shock as they watched Simeon's eyes glow white. He fell to the ground, an angel blade driven into his back. An single arm wrapped Emily's middle and another pressed a blade to her throat. Crowley's face appeared from over her shoulder, grinning triumphantly.

"Sorry, darling." He said, addressing Hester. "Looks like I win this time. Long live the king."

The demon disappeared, and Emily along with him. Hester and Virgil immediately released their captives and followed, vanishing in a clamor of fluttering wings. Sam helped Castiel from the ground and was handed a blade of his own before the angel vanished.

Sam clenched his jaw and raised his arms defeatedly. "Great."

12345

Amanda took a quick glance at the surrounding hallways to make certain that she was alone before pushing open the door to the room where the two hunters were being held. She walked over to Madison first.

"Hey!" Dean shouted. "The hell do you think you're doing?"

"Helping you escape." She replied calmly. "Do me a favor and try to keep your voice down, will you? I don't want to attract any unnecessary attention."

Amanda then pulled a set of keys from the inside of her leather jacket and hurriedly undid the locks on the chains. She helped Madison down and then moved to Dean, releasing him as well. The very instant he was free, Dean grasped the demon's throat and slammed her against the wall.

"Alright, what's the deal here?" He snarled. "Is this some sort of trick? You bust us out of this crap-hole and gain our trust, then stab us in the back when we aren't looking? I can tell you right now it won't work, sister. I know what you did. Killing Cas, that was a bad move."

"Castiel isn't dead." Amanda stated.

Dean laughed, "Yeah, like I believe that crap."

"I'm not asking you to believe anything, Winchester." She snarled. "If you want to stay down here and rot, that's fine with me."

"Dean..." Madison said quietly. "I think we should go with her."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am." She nodded. "I mean, it's not like we really have much of a choice. This place is a fucking maze, we'll never be able find our way out without help."

Dean took a moment to study the demon he had pinned to the wall before sighing and releasing her from his grasp. Amanda huffed and walked over to the door, peering outside before motioning for the two hunters to follow her.

"This way." She whispered.

They followed her through a long, narrow corridor, up two flights of stairs, then down one. They slipped down a hallway, through a large room and finally, they made it to a set of large double doors. Amanda snapped her fingers and the doors opened. Faint and pale moonlight seeped from cracks in the clouded night sky and into the dark and dreary building. Dean and Madison hurried through the open doorway, once they were outside, Amanda snapped her fingers a second time to close the doors.

"Ah, Amanda. There you are. I was being to wonder if you had been caught."

The three turned in the direction the voice had come from. A dark figure leaned against the building, head tilted downward. He straightened up and began to walk towards them. Once he was out of the shadows, they managed to make out his face in the dim light of the moon.

"Balthazar?" Dean said in disbelief.

The angel ignored the hunter while Amanda scoffed.

"Balthazar." Dean repeated the name.

Again he was ignored.

"Hey!"

"Oh, sorry." Balthazar spoke with heavy sarcasm. "Were you talking to me?"

"The hell are you doing here?" Dean snarled

"I'm here to help you two idiots escape." The angel stated flatly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll show you to your brother."

"Balthazar, wait!" Amanda called before the angel could vanish.

Balthazar stopped and took a step back, eyeing the demon with curiosity. She pointed to the sky and he immediately understood.

"There's been a change of plans." He said, turning back Dean and Madison. "Amanda will take the two of you to Sam. I have some family matters I must attend to."

And without another word, the angel was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

"Sam!" Dean cried out, a wide grin spread across his face, as he spotted his younger brother.

Sam smiled and laughed as he rushed over to his brother and pulled him into a tight hug. The brothers held their embrace for a lengthy moment before pulling away. That was when Sam saw Madison. Her pale skin was painted with dried blood and several nasty cuts that had been scabbed over. Her hair was matted and a long gash ran along her cheek. She looked awful.

"Oh my god, Maddie, what the hell did they do to you in there?"

"Nothing a cold beer and a hot shower can't fix." She said, forcing a smile. "It's really fucking good to see you again, Sam."

The taller hunter bent down and pulled her into his arms. Dean's jaw tightened and he averted his gaze to the ground beneath his feet.

"Hey, where's Emily?" Madison asked as Sam released her.

"She...Crowley has her." Sam's tone was grave.

"What did you say?" Amanda walked up behind Madison, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Crowley took her." Sam repeated. "Cas and some other angels went after them, but I haven't go a clue where they are."

"Dammit!" Amanda hissed, looking away from Sam for a brief moment. "You wouldn't happen to know the names of those other angels, would you?"

"Well, Cas called one of them, the girl, Hester? I don't know who the others were."

"Of course it had to be Hester..." The demon groaned. "I need to warn Balthazar. You three should get out of here while you still can."

"Balthazar's here?" Sam turned to Dean in surprise.

"Yeah, the angel of douche-baggery has blessed us with his oh-so-glorious presence." Dean huffed as he rolled his eyes. He then turned his focus to Amanda. "Listen, sister. I don't care that you saved our asses, we aren't leaving without Emily and that's that."

"I was merely making a suggestion." She said in response. "But if you'd rather stay here and get yourselves killed, that's not my problem. I promised Castiel that I would break you and the girl out of the warehouse. I played my part, and as far as I'm concerned, my work here is done."

And then Amanda vanished.

"So... who exactly was she?" Sam asked after a moments silence.

"That," Dean sighed, "was Crowley's friggin' daughter."

* * *

Emily fought against Crowley's grip, she pushed and pulled at his arms in an attempt to pry herself loose, but he only held her tighter. The blade he had pressed against her throat nicked the skin and let loose a small stream of blood that dribbled down the length of her neck and onto her shirt. A faint flapping could be heard in the distance, signaling that the angels were not far behind. Crowley quickened his pace, moving as fast as he could with Emily struggling against him. Soon enough Hester and Virgil, along with two new angels, had caught up with them. The four celestial beings drew out their weapons and closed in on the demon and the girl held in his arms.

"Hand her over, filth." Hester snarled through her bared teeth.

"Oh I don't think so, love." Crowley smirked.

He raised his left arm, keeping a firm hold on Emily with his right, and snapped his fingers. A ring of fire sprang up around Hester. She attempted to escape the circle of flames but it was no use, the demon had fueled the fire with holy oil, she was trapped. Crowley grinned and vanished once more. The other three angels turned to Hester, awaiting her instruction.

"Dammit!" She shouted, then took in a deep breath to compose herself before giving the other angels their orders. "Virgil, acquire the girl and take her to Raphael. Amos and Miriam, kill the demon. Make certain his death is a painful one."

The three angels nodded and set out to complete their appointed tasks. Hester stood with her hands on her hips, muttering curses over Crowley and all other demon kind. She was so caught up in her vengeful musings that she didn't notice the raised hand behind her until it was too late. An angel blade sunk it's silver length into her back. She felt her grace explode inside her and then dissipate in a flash of burning white light. In her last few moments she had only just enough time to turn her head and see her killer's face. Castiel's hardened gaze was the last thing she saw before the world went black and her emptied vessel fell to the ground with a soft thud.

* * *

"Father..."

Crowley turned his head to see Amanda walking towards him, angel blade in hand. He smiled at his daughter, but she did not return the expression.

"There are too many of them." She said, referring to the angels. "You cannot possibly hope to fight them all off."

"I can and I will." Crowley said firmly. "I don't care what it takes. Just as long as I walk away with the Aestus in my hands."

"That will not be happening." A man's voice said.

Both father and daughter whirled around to find Virgil, the tall dark-haired angel, advancing on them with great speed. He raised his blade and thrust it towards Crowley, the weapon missed its mark by mere inches. The demon king dodged swipe after swipe, until finally, Virgil managed to slice his arm. The demon cried out in pain as his injured limb hissed and smoked. In that same moment, his grip becoming loose enough to allow Emily to escape. She bolted into the forest that stood behind Crowley, leaving the demon king and his daughter between herself and Virgil. She hoped that a fight between the three of them would buy her some time. But she was wrong.

Emily had made it only a few hundred yards before Virgil caught up with her. Knowing that she couldn't possibly outrun him, she pulled her angel blade from her belt and prepared herself for a fight. The angel was the first to move, he lunged forward and jabbed his blade at her side, missing by a hair. Emily grunted, dropped to the ground, and rolled past Virgil, using her own blade to slice into his calves as she went. He snarled in pain and reached a hand down to heal the wound. Emily took this opportunity to stand and deal a second blow to his back while it was vulnerable. Virgil swore in Enochian and turned to face the hunter who had dealt him the injury.

"You're lucky that Raphael needs you alive." He barked angrily. "Otherwise I would have no problem tearing apart those bad wings of yours."

"My what?" Emily said, an expression of bewilderment on her face.

Wings? What the hell was he talking about? Before Virgil had a chance to clarify, another voice spoke from behind Emily.

"I believe he was talking to me, dearie."

Emily jumped and turned, she squinted into the darkness to see a male figure standing directly behind her.

"Balthazar?" Virgil's tone was disbelieving.

The figure smirked, his expression barely visible in the dark, and stepped forward. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky and revealed two massive, twisted black wings that protruded from his upper back. They were not your typical feathered angel wings. These wings were webbed and scaled, almost reptilian looking. The tips curled down into sharp talons, and the edges were tattered as though they had seen a thousand merciless battles. Then the lightning faded, and with it the image of the dark and distorted wings.

"What the hell?!" Virgil exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"Oh." Balthazar hummed, edging closer to the other angel. "I had a makeover."

Virgil didn't have a chance to react before Balthazar lunged forward. The smaller angel's twisted wings closed around Virgil's form like a black cage of death. The claws that adorned the tips dug into his back, causing a fiery pain to shoot through the veins in his vessel's body. Virgil wriggled and squirmed in an attempt to escape, but Balthazar kept him tightly ensnared in the folds of his wings. Emily stood unmoving as she watched the pair of angels, a sea of fear and anxiety churning in her stomach. A sudden cry, loud and ear piercing, broke through the frigid air. Emily flinched and squinted as a bright light erupted from the place where Balthazar's wings didn't quite meet the ground. And then, it was gone. Emily heard the all-too-familiar plop of a limp body falling to the ground. Virgil was dead. Balthazar kicked the body over so he was lying flat on his back, then straightened up and walked to where Emily stood. The hunter tightened her grip on her blade, prepared to use it if all necessary.

"It's all right, darling. I'm not going to hurt you." He said gently.

"You expect me to believe that?" She replied through gritted teeth. "I just watched you murder an angel."

"Oh, and you've never killed anyone before?" Gone was the kindness in Balthazar's voice, instead it had been replaced with a mocking sarcasm.

"Shut up!" She snarled.

Balthazar sighed. "I really don't know what he sees in you."

"I-...What are you talking about?"

"Ah well, no matter." He waved his arm to dismiss the remark. "The others will be waiting for you. Come on then."

Emily didn't have a chance to protest. Balthazar pressed a finger to her forehead and she felt herself being sucked into a different dimension. A spectrum of colors she had never seen and could never describe swirled before her eyes. She felt like she was floating, flying, and falling all at the same time. Seconds later she found herself standing on solid ground again. She took in a deep breath and blinked in surprise. Sam stood in front of her, with Dean and Madison at his side.

"S'up, bitch?" Madison was the first to speak. She grinned and pulled Emily into a tight hug. "I'm hella glad to be seeing your face again."

Dean walked up and gripped her shoulder. "It's good to see you, Em."

Sam didn't approach her, but smiled gently and offered a small wave instead. Emily smiled back and then turned to face the angel who was responsible for bringing her back to her friends safely. Balthazar stood a short distance off to the side, speaking to a woman that Emily had never seen before. The spoke in hushed tones. She couldn't make out exactly what it was they were saying, but their facial expressions revealed that their conversation was less than pleasant. Emily frowned, and scanned over the rest of the surrounding area, something wasn't right. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something was nagging her, a thought, urgent and trapped in the back of her crowded mind. Then it hit her.

"Where's Cas?" She said suddenly.

"He'll be along." It was Balthazar who answered.

Emily nodded and turned her attention back to her friends. Dean and Madison relayed the details of their time with Crowley and how Amanda, the woman that Balthazar was currently conversing with, had helped them escape. In turn, Emily and Sam talked of their own little escapade. They talked of the fight that had ensued after Dean and Madison had been trapped. Then they spoke of their retreat to the motel, and how Cas had gone missing. And finally, they told of their return to the warehouse.

Emily couldn't deny the fear that was slowly building inside her every second that Castiel remained absent. It had been an eternity since Balthazar had assured her that he would return, and so far he had failed to pull through. He had been gone too long, there was no denying it. The others didn't seem as bothered by the angel's failure to show his face, but Emily was on the verge of panic. After all that had happened tonight, she needed answers. Castiel knew the truth, he knew why Crowley and those angels wanted her, he had to. And Emily wanted to know, she needed to know _why_. And dammit, Castiel was going to tell her, wether he was willing to or not.

Emily tried to console herself, tried to convince herself that in just a few more minutes, Castiel would be standing in front of her. But as time wore on, her optimism was spread thin. She was beginning to loose all hope of ever seeing him again. Just then, Emily heard the sound of wings from behind her. For a moment, she thought it must have been her mind playing tricks. But when Sam, Dean, and Madison all turned their heads, Emily felt a fresh pang of hope and followed their gaze. Castiel stood directly behind her. Before she knew what was happening, Emily found herself pressed against his body, her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Castiel muttered gruffly against the top of her head. "Why the embrace? The close proximity is both unnecessary and uncomfortable."

Emily pulled away and blushed, "Sorry, I just... I'm glad you're back."

Castiel gave her a puzzled stare before speaking again. "Emily, I need to speak with you on a matter of great importance. There are things about yourself of which you are unaware and I feel it is time that you knew the truth."

"Then tell me." She said.

"No." Castiel shook his head. "Not in this place, it would be too great of a risk. We must go somewhere far away from here, where no angel or demon can track us." He then turned to the rest of the group. "You all should come too. It isn't safe here."

Emily swallowed hard and locked eyes with Cas as he looked back at her. "Okay." She nodded. "Let's go."


End file.
